Packet for spools



Oct. 28, 1952 P 2,615,564

PACKET FOR SPOOLS Filed July 30, 1951 I I I I ,8 I I a 7 I 7 l F3 7 r I I l I I INVENTOR. J 0 Past Patented Oct. 28, 1952 PACKET FOR SPOOLS I I j' Jamesl). Post, Bethel, Conn., assignor to Republic Foil and Metal Mills, Incorporated, Danbury, Conn, a corporation of Delaware Application July 30, 1951, Serial No. 239,297

2 Claims.

This invention relates to packets for spools; and it comprises in combination a spool, two square end pieces of double-thickness corrugated paper or the like attached to the ends of the spool by pairs of tongues which fit inside the central bore of the spool and are held spaced apart in frictional engagement with the inner wall of the bore by tabs which also fit inside the bore, and a loop of corrugated paper surrounding the spool and its attached end pieces to prevent disengagement of the latter. The invention also includes the blanks from which said end pieces are made; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

In a copending application, Serial No. 231,700, I have described a, spool packaging device which is particularly adapted to the packing of spools of metal foil and the like to prevent injury during shipment. As pointed out in this prior application it is necessary in packing spools for shipment to provide spacing elements of some type to prevent injury to the spools caused by striking against each other or against the shipping carton. In the prior art it has been customary to mount dowels or spindles between end plates in the carton and to thread the spools on these dowels with heavy cotton spacers between the spools. This method of packing required much hand labor and was found to be both slow and expensive. The packaging device described in my copendin-g application has been found much better than the prior art method but it is adapted particularly to the packing of spools of metal foil having widths of only up to about 2% inches.

For spools of wider foil which, of course, are

heavier a stronger packet is desirable.

I have now discovered a simple spool packet which is sufiiciently strong to pack spools of foil having widths of up to 5 inches or more and which can be applied to a spool in even less time than that required in the case of the devices described in my acknowledged copending application. The new packet is particularly adapted for use with spools of foil having widths of over 2 inches but it can be used if desired for widths as narrow as about 1 inch.

Briefly described my new packet consists of four elements, the spool, two square end, pieces formed of double-thickness corrugated paper, which are attached to the ends of the spool by means of spaced parallel tongues which fit into the central bore of the spool and are held in position by friction between the tongues and the wall of the bore, and a loop of corrugated paper which surrounds the spool with its attached end pieces and prevents disengagement of the. latter. In packaging spools with this new packet it is merely necessary to clap the two end pieces on either end of the spool and to slip this assembly into v the loop and then fit the resulting packet into the shipping container. When these packets are p-acked tightly into a container the Jspools are held firmly spaced apart as well as being spaced from the walls of the container. 7 a f v My invention can be described more accurately by reference to the accompanying drawin which shows more or less diagrammatically a-preferred embodiment of my spool packet. In this showing Fig. l is a plan view of the blank from which the end pieces of the packet are formed,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the blank partially folded to show how the sections fit together,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two end pieces fitted on the ends of a spool, whilev v Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the complete packet, including the outer wrapping 1oQp,-surrounding a spool and ready to be packed.

In the various figures like parts are designated by like reference numerals. Referring first to Fig. 1 it is seen that the blank from which the end pieces are made is merely a rectangular sheet I of wrap-ping material having a Width corresponding to the width of the spool to be wrapped and a length twice its width. The blank is separated by transverse folding lines2 and 3 into a central square section't and. two lateral half sections 5 and 6, the half sections being adapted to be folded over the central'section'as shown in Fig. 2 to form a square of double thickness. At its longitudinal ends the blank-isprovided with tabs 1 which are separated alongthe sides of their bases from the body of the blank by notches 8. Folding lines 9 are providedat the bases of the tabs so they can be bent upwardly at right angles when the half sections of the blank are folded over the. central section, as shown in Fig. 2. These tabs advantageously have a length corresponding to abouthalf the length of the central bore of the spools to be packaged. They must not be longer than this since otherwise these tabs would interfere with the corresponding tabs of the other end piece when placed end to end on a spool as'sho'wn in Fig. 3.

The central section of the blank is provided with two out out tongues It extending transversely from a central strip H which separates the bases of the tongues to a point short of the marginal edges of the central section leaving uncut marginal strips It at either side. Folding lines i2 are provided at the bases of the tongues so that they can be bent upwardly at right an les to the base, as shown in Fig. 2. These tongues have a width correspondin to twice the depth of the notches 8 and they fit closely into these notches when the end halves of the blank are folded fiat over the central section. It will be noted that the width of the tabs 1 corresponds to the width of the central strip ll between the tongues so that the tabs fit between the tongues and hold them spaced parallel. When spaced in this manner the tongues fit tightly inside the central bore of the spool to be packaged so that the end pieces are held on the ends of the spool by the resulting friction.

Fig. 3 shows two end pieces shown generally at 13 and I4 assembled on the ends of a spool l5. This assembly, comprising a spool with two squares of double thickness wrapping material secured to its ends, can be packed into shipping cartons as is, provided that the spool is light.

that is, the width of the loop inside corresponds substantially to the diameter of the spool and to the width of the and pieces 13 and I4, while the height of the loop inside corresponds to the height of the spool plus the thickness of the two end pieces. "The packets shown in Figs when packed in a carton will withstand more rough handling than the assembly shown in Fig. 3.

' While I have described what I consider to be the most advantageous embodiment of my spool packet, it is evident, of course, that various modifications can be made in the specific construction which has been described without departing from the purview of this invention. Thus, while I have shown the tongues l rounded and the tabs 7 square at their ends, it is evident, of course, thatboth may be rounded or both square. The lengths of these elements can be varied to a considerable extent. In the case of spools having aconsiderable height for holding Wide strips of foil or other material, it is not necessary that the tongues and tabshave a length corresponding to half the length of the central bore of the tube since an adequate frictional grip will be produced by shorter lengths. It is advantageous, however, tohave gripping edges at least about one-half inch in length on the tongues so that there is but little tendency for the end pieces to slip off the spools. It is not necessary to have the abutting ends of the outer loop of wrapping material sealed together. Thus this loop can be merely folded around the spool and and pieces and fitted directly into the carton. If the carton is tightly packed the spool and end pieces will remain within the outer loop of packing material. It is also possible, as indicated previously, in the case of lighter spools to dispense entirely with the outer loop of wrappin material since the end pieces grip the spool with a surprisingly strong frictional hold and these end pieces are adequate to hold the lighter spools spaced apart in a carton without the use of the outer loop. While I have shown in the drawing wrapping material which is double-faced corrugated paper, it is possible, of course, to employ single-faced corrugated paper or solid combined board. The board has to have a certain amount of both rigidity and flexibility to perform its functions properly. While my spool packets have been designed specially for the packing of spools of metal foil, it is obvious, of course, that these packets can be used in the packing of spools of ribbon, thread and all other materials which are sold in strips or filaments. Further modifications of this inven tion which fall within the scope of the following claims will be immediately evident to those skilled in the art. 7

What I claim is: r

1. A packet forspools which comprises in combination a spool, two square end pieces of doublethickness resilient wrapping material having centrally mounted pairs of tongues, having a width substantially that'of the inner diameter of the central bore of'the spool'and a length not more than half the length of the bore, and having centrally mounted tabs mounted between and at right angles to said tongues with a width corresponding to thedistance between the tongues and a length less than half the diameter of said central boreysaid end pieces being secured to the ends of the spool by means of said'tongues and tabs, the tabs spacing the tongues sothat the latter frictionally engage the inner wall of said central bore.

2. The combination of claim 1 in further combination with a loop of wrappin material-surrounding thespool with its attached end pieces to prevent disengagement of'the latter, said loop having a width corresponding to the diameter of the spool.

' JAMES D. POST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 28, 1940 

